Mikkel Parlo, Brennan Ward each believes he has edge over other at Bellator 107

Both Mikkel Parlo and Brennan Ward believe they have the momentum going to put them over the top and into a Bellator middleweight title shot.

The problem is, they’ll have to go through the other to get there.

Parlo (11-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and Ward (8-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) meet in the Season 9 middleweight tournament final tonight at Bellator 107, which takes place at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card, which features two other tourney finals in addition to their bout, airs on Spike TV (9 p.m. ET) following prelims on Spike.com (7 p.m. ET).

Parlo and Ward have gotten one step away from a title shot in different ways. Parlo has wins over Brian Rogers and Jason Butcher by unanimous decision. But Ward has shut down Justin Torrey with a second-round TKO and stopped Joe Pacheco with a second-round submission.

But his decision wins compared to Ward’s stoppages doesn’t mean Parlo is any less pleased with how he’s gotten to the final.

“I’m really happy and very satisfied with the fight against Jason Butcher,” Parlo told MMAjunkie.com. “My game plan worked perfect. I think I could have moved more when I stood in front of him. I think I overcommitted on some of my strokes. And of course, I would have liked to knock him out. But he was running away and falling to the floor too much.”

Ward needed to overcome some early bumps in the road against Pacheco to advance to his matchup with Parlo. He said that’s not typical for him.

“I got off to a slow start against Joe Pacheco and ended up getting slammed and held down,” he said. “But once I got the ball rolling and got loose in the second round, it was all good. I usually get off to a fast start but … he slammed me. He was a decent wrestler. And he was big. But that s–t won’t happen again. I’ve been wrestling every day since to make sure that won’t happen again.”

It might not happen again because Parlo might not want to go to the ground with Ward, anyway. He seems to believe he’s got the advantage in the standup department – and Ward is known for his dangerous wrestling.

But hey, if the fight goes to the floor, he believes he can get things done there, as well.

“My advantages over Brennan Ward are that I have more punching power, better endurance, better cardio, better striking, I fight smarter and maybe I have better wrestling and am better in the clinch,” Ward said.

Gee, is that all?

But at the end of the day, Parlo isn’t quite sure what will happen against Ward, whom he considers to be unpredictable with his approach to fights, often “just being himself and improvising.”

“This fight is difficult to predict – the fight can end in many ways,” Parlo said. “I think I can win by KO, TKO or decision, and if he gives me the opportunity, I can also win by submission. I think it will be a good fight – both of us are well-rounded and we want to go right at our opponent. Many things could happen.”

Ward, naturally, believes he’s got the edge everywhere, but particularly on the ground. And that

“He’s not ready for my style of wrestling,” Ward said. “I’ll double-leg him, I’ll single-leg him, I’ll suplex him, I’ll do whatever. He’s not ready for a wrestling game like this. I really watched the way he tried to defend some of Jason Butcher’s s—ty takedowns, and Parlo just doesn’t understand basic wrestling. I’m not afraid of his stand up either. I’ll stand and bang with that kid. I’ll knock him out, man. I’m not afraid of his hands at all. I’ll box with him, I’ll do whatever he wants to do. And when I want to, I’ll throw him on his head.”

The summation seems to be that in a fight between two guys who have confidence riding high, with a lot on the line, it could be a barnburner.

But like Parlo, a 23-year-old from Denmark, believes is the case of Ward, the 25-year-old American said he’s just that: unpredictable.

“I don’t have a game plan. I just go out there and scrap,” he said. “My prediction for this fight is me winning by ground and pound. … Just be ready for a very exciting fight. I’ll be in Bellator until they s–t-can me.”

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